President Donald Trump nominates Cleveland lawyer Justin Herdman to be new U.S. attorney

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- President Donald Trump on Monday nominated Cleveland attorney Justin Herdman to be the new U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.

Herdman, 41, is a partner at the Jones Day law firm, which has represented Trump in legal matters. The White House announced Herdman's nomination, along with those of seven others across the country.

"These candidates share the President's vision for 'Making America Safe Again,'" the White House said in a news release.

Herdman would officially succeed Carole Rendon, who was appointed as U.S. attorney by President Barack Obama. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions in March requested that Rendon, along with 45 other U.S. attorney holdovers from the Obama administration, submit their resignations.

Ohio Sens. Rob Portman and Sherrod Brown announced in February that they had recommended Herdman to Trump.

Both senators praised the nomination on Monday.

The U.S. Senate will have to confirm Herdman's appointment.

Herdman could not immediately be reached for comment.

Herdman was at the U.S. Attorney's Office between 2006 and 2013, and worked in the office's terrorism squad. He was on a team that prosecuted a group of five activists that plotted to blow up the Ohio 82 Bridge spanning the Cuyahoga Valley National Park in 2012.

He serves as a judge advocate in the U.S. Air Force Reserve for the 910th Airlift Wing in Youngstown. He received his law degree from Harvard University and is an adjunct law professor at Case Western Reserve University.

Attorneys in Cleveland have praised Herdman, saying he is more than capable to lead the office.

The U.S. Attorney's Office here prosecutes cases in 40 counties, including areas in and around Cleveland, Akron, Youngstown and Toledo.

The nominations of Herdman and the others announced Monday are the first time the president has put forth any names to fill the 93 U.S. attorney positions nationwide.

After Sessions received the resignations of the Obama administration holdovers, the top federal prosecutor positions across the country, including in Cleveland, were filled by career Justice Department employees and not political appointees.

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